HKDSE BIOLOGY: Connecting Concepts

Revision notes

16 Stimuli, receptors and responses

16.2 Human eyes as the sense organs for detecting light

1. Main parts of the eye and their functions are as follows:

Aqueous humour Eye muscle Sclera

• supplies nutrients
and oxygen to the
cornea and the
lens, and removes
wastes
• maintains the shape
of the eyeball
• refracts light
Cornea
• allows light to pass
through
• refracts light into
the eye
Pupil
• allows light to
enter the eye
• attaches the eyeball to • gives shape to the eyeball
the orbit • protects inner structures
• allows the eyeball to • provides an attachment
rotate surface for eye muscles
Choroid
• contains blood
vessels which
supply oxygen and
nutrients to cells
and remove wastes
from them
• contains a black
pigment which
absorbs light to
reduce the
reflection of light
within the eye

Lens Retina
• refracts and focuses • contains rod cells
light onto the and cone cells to
retina detect light

Iris Optic nerve

• controls the size of • transmits nerve
the pupil and hence impulses to the
the amount of light brain
entering the eye
Vitreous humour
Ciliary body
Suspensory ligament • maintains the shape
• contains ciliary muscles which
• attaches the lens of the eyeball
contract and relax to change the
to the ciliary body • refracts light
shape of the lens

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HKDSE BIOLOGY: Connecting Concepts Revision notes

2. Light rays that enter the eye are refracted by the cornea, the
aqueous humour, the lens and the vitreous humour, and focused
on the retina. Rod cells and cone cells detect light falling on them,
and send nerve impulses along the optic nerve to the visual centre
of the brain. The brain interprets the nerve impulses and produces
vision.

3. Any images formed on the blind spot is not visible as there are no
photoreceptors on the blind spot.

4. Comparison between rod cells and cone cells is as follows:

Rod cells Cone cells
Shape Rod-shaped Cone-shaped
Number More numerous; distributed Fewer in numbers;
and throughout the retina except concentrated at the yellow
distribution at the yellow spot and the spot and none at the blind
blind spot spot
Sensitivity More sensitive; stimulated by Less sensitive; stimulated
low light intensities by high light intensities
Function Black and white vision Colour vision

5. The iris controls the size of the pupil and hence the amount of light
entering the eye:
In bright light In dim light
Circular muscles of the iris Contract Relax
Radial muscles of the iris Relax Contract
Constricts (becomes Dilates (becomes
Pupil
smaller) larger)
Amount of light entering Decrease Increase
the eye

© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 16-2

HKDSE BIOLOGY: Connecting Concepts Revision notes

6 Eye accommodation refers to changing the shape of the lens to

focus on objects at different distances:

Focusing on a distant
Focusing on a near object
object
Ciliary muscles Contract Relax
Suspensory Slackened (tension Tightened (tension
ligaments reduced) increased)
Becomes thicker (more Becomes thinner (less
Lens
convex) convex)
Degree of light Greater Lesser
refraction

7. Causes and corrections of some common eye defects are as follows:

Short sight Long sight Colour blindness
Condition Cannot see distant Cannot see near Cannot
objects as the objects as the distinguish
images are formed images are formed certain colours
in front of the behind the retina
retina
Cause Lens too thick Lens too thin and/ Poor functioning
and/or eyeball too or eyeball too or a deficiency of
long short one or more types
of cone cells
Wear concave Wear convex No cure
Correction
lenses lenses

© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 16-3

 HKDSE BIOLOGY: Connecting Concepts Revision notes

16.3 Human ears as the sense organs for detecting sound

8. Main parts of the ear and their functions are as follows:

Auditory canal Ear bones

Pinna • directs sound • amplify and Semicircular canals
• collects sound waves to the transmit • detect head
waves eardrum vibrations from movements
the eardrum to
the oval window

Eardrum
• converts
Auditory nerve
sound waves
• transmits nerve
into
impulses from
mechanical
the cochlea and
vibrations
the semicircular
canals to the
Oval window brain
• transmits
vibrations from
the ear bones Round window Eustachian tube Cochlea
to the inner ear • allows the • equalizes the • contains sensory
release of air pressure on hair cells which
pressure in the both sides of detect vibrations
cochlea the eardrum and send nerve
impulses to the
brain

16.4 Phototropic responses in plants

9. Phototropism is the directional growth movement of a plant part
in response to unilateral light.

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HKDSE BIOLOGY: Connecting Concepts Revision notes

10. Shoots and roots respond differently to unilateral light:

Shoots Roots
Growth Towards light (i.e. positive Away from light (i.e.
response phototropism) negative phototropism)
Significance Brings the leaves to face the Enables the roots to grow
light source to obtain downwards into the soil for
maximum amount of light anchorage
for photosynthesis

11. Phototropism is controlled by auxins. Auxins are produced in the

apical meristems at shoot tips and root tips, and are transported to
the region of elongation where they affect growth.

12. Unilateral light causes auxins to be transported from the

illuminated side to the shaded side of the shoot or the root.

• The high auxin concentration stimulates shoot growth on the

shaded side, and therefore the shoot bends towards the light.
• The high auxin concentration inhibits root growth on the shaded
side, and therefore the root bends away from the light.

© Aristo Educational Press Ltd. 16-5